Waters receding in Cape Girardeau area

Tommy Jones awoke at 12:30 a.m. Monday to the sound of a waterfall. It was the muddy Mississippi River pouring into the basement of his home on North Spanish Street in Cape Girardeau.

"With that last rain, there was nowhere for the water to go," Jones said.

He and his father, Robert, watched the water creep closer and closer to their house for days hoping they would escape any damage. They thought they would be spared, until they heard the water coming in. Floodwaters filled the basement.

"Our little pump just couldn't pump out what was coming in," Jones said. Water came within inches of the first floor of their house.

His furnace, hot water heater, washer and dryer were all ruined. Everything else had already been moved out.

Wednesday, he was cleaning up and trying to keep his spirits up.

He said his home isn't eligible for flood insurance because his grandmother, who owned it after the 1993 floods, refused a federal buyout.

The Mississippi River crested at 46.28 feet Monday in Cape Girardeau, but Jones said he noticed the water surrounding his home recede quickly after the Birds Point levee breach that same night.

"A few hours after they broke that levee, it dropped so much," Jones said.

Wednesday, the river was at 43.94 feet as of 10 p.m. and projected to fall to 42 feet by Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

The waters could also be seen receding in Dutchtown Wednesday as a once water-covered Highway 25 is now half-dry.

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan was checking on the Dutchtown levee and the Allenville area on Wednesday. Some Allenville residents have already returned home, although most roads into the town remain closed.

"The breach down there [at Birds Point] is doing what it was designed to do. It's relieving pressure on the Mississippi River," Jordan said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hasn't given the county any indication of how long the emergency levee now running along Highway 74 at Dutchtown will remain in place.

In 1993, when the Mississippi River reached a record 48.4 feet, the emergency levee stayed up for months, Jordan said.

"As long as there is a threat of flooding, they will leave it in place," he said.

With floodwaters going down, more people are returning to their homes to assess the damage.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the state of Missouri and the U.S. Small Business Administration are forming a joint Preliminary Damage Assessment team. The group next week will survey homes and businesses in 38 Missouri counties affected by flooding to gather data to be used in determining whether a federal disaster declaration is warranted.

Start repairs now

Josh DeBerge, external affairs specialist with FEMA in Kansas City, urged people not to wait to see if a federal disaster declaration is made before moving forward with repair efforts.

"The longer people wait to make repairs or clean up, the more damage results," DeBerge said.

He encouraged property owners to document their cleanup efforts by taking photos and making a list of items damaged or destroyed. That information is helpful in determining aid whether a disaster declaration is made, he said.

Jim Camoriano, spokesman for State Farm Insurance, cautioned people to be careful when choosing a contractor to make home repairs.

He's seen fly-by-night contractors who come into disaster areas and take advantage of people.

"Don't rush into signing a contract," Camoriano said. "You've got to watch out for the ones that will knock on your door and offer a free estimate."

In some instances, those individuals will cause further damage and charge customers even more to repair it, he said.

With so many flood-damaged homes in the area, ServPro of Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties, which specializes in water damage cleanup, has been overwhelmed with calls from flood victims, said marketing director Rob Stephens.

Stephens warns people to use caution when dealing with floodwaters, adding that his staff treats it the same as sewage.

"You really don't know what's coming into your home. Our crews wear gloves and special suits for protection," Stephens said.

According to FEMA's flooding resources website, people should check their homes for structural damage before entering, contact professionals if they suspect damage to the home's water, gas, electric or sewer lines, and throw away any food that has come in contact with floodwaters. Immediately removing wet items, including carpeting, can help prevent mold development.

For more information, visit www.fema.gov/hazard/flood.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

1001 N. Spanish St., Cape Girardeau, MO

State Highway 25 & State Highway 74, Dutchtown, MO